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Exhibit Marks 50 Years Of Empire State Plaza

The New York State Museum has opened a new exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for the Empire State Plaza that occurred on June 21,1965.

The Empire State Plaza at 50 is organized in collaboration with the New York State Office of General Services and features dozens of images as well as artwork from the Empire State Plaza Art Collection.

Open through January 17, 2016, the exhibition also features a 1963 model of an “Albany of the Future”, which includes a model of the Empire State Plaza. In addition, two pieces from the Empire State Plaza Art Collection will be on exhibition: Four at Forty-Five by Alexander Calder and Studies for the Sun by Isamu Noguchi. A portrait of Nelson Rockefeller by Andy Warhol will also be on display.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 am to 5 pm. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

Photo: An early rendering of the Empire State Plaza and what is today the Cultural Education Center (from the New York State Archives).